If You Listen Closely The Answer Will Come
by Charis Nova-Neko
Summary: Did Shizuku & Seiji keep their promises to themselves and each other? How did Shizuku's story turn out? And what of Mr. Nishi and the Baron? A continuation of my favorite Miyazaki movie. Ch. 4 is up
1. A Happy Ending and A New Start

**Disclaimer: Characters & the original story belong to Studio Ghibli, I'm just letting my imagination mingle with theirs….**

"_I have something for you, Shizuku." _

_The old man rose from his chair and walked to his bookshelf. He picked up something and walked back to the young girl. _

"_Hold out your hands."_

_The girl did as she was told. The old man reached out and placed something heavy in her hands. As he pulled away, it revealed a blackened rock, which held small green gemstones within a large crack._

_The girl blinked in surprise. "The stone…Mr. Nishi…"_

_The old man nodded. "That stone resembles you more than it does an old man like me. That's why I'm giving it to you. Please do a good job and polish your gems."_

_The girl smiled and nodded. "I will, Mr. Nishi. Thank you."_

This is what Shizuku found herself reflecting on as she stood on this cliff-like area, looking over a good portion of West Tokyo. As the sun rose, it created a dazzling picture; Shizuku found herself staring in awe as the city became a beautiful, shining blue gem.

She snuggled against Seiji's chest. Now she could see her future spread out before her, bright as the sun rising over the misty fog in the city. She would work hard; she would find the gems within herself and polish them until they shined so bright you needed to look at them through smoked glass.

She felt Seiji's breath on her forehead just before his lips replaced it. The touch made her shiver more than the cold wind did.

" I love you, too, Seiji…"


	2. Sharing the Goods

**Disclaimer: Characters & the original story belong to Studio Ghibli, I'm just letting my imagination mingle with theirs… **

**Also, the names of the schoolgirls who join with Yuuko and Shizuku were derived after much scrutinization of the movie's credits. **

**Finally, after much deliberation, this chapter has been heavily edited from its previous version, in order to hold true to the Japanese school year. Please bear with me as I polish my gems :) ~Charis~**

_A week later…_

Shizuku couldn't focus on her practice test. Her nerves were a mess. She used just about every technique she could think of in order to calm down & focus on her test, but to no avail. The aggravation of not being able to focus just made her even more nervous. She swallowed as she wrote down what she thought was the right answer to the twenty-seventh question.

The source of her nervousness was tucked away with her schoolbooks: a thick bundle of papers bound together with pieces of string. The topmost page read: "If You Listen Closely: The Story Given Me By Baron. Tsukishima Shizuku."

She didn't really remember at this point exactly why she had brought it to school. It was something about letting her friends read a page or two and having them critique it. But now… "Time's up! Please turn in your papers." Augh! Where did the time go!? She reluctantly passed up her paper and got ready to leave.

As she walked, Shizuku shifted her satchel to her other hand; its weight made her conscious of her manuscript again. 'What was I thinking?' she wondered, her courage still waning. 'I haven't even really started to polish up the story. But now that I think about it… Where would I even begin?' These thoughts plagued Shizuku all the way to the library until she was stopped by someone rather familiar. "Seiji!" she exclaimed softly. Both of them greeted the other with a warm smile, hardly realizing they did it, before entering the library doors together.

"I'm glad you invited me, Shizuku," Seiji admitted. "I'm actually kind of excited to see what you worked so hard on while I was gone - it's bound to be better than Concrete Road," he said, bringing up an old joke from when Shizuku had finally taken notice of him. Shizuku feigned a petulant pout. "You told me you actually liked that," she scolded. Seiji just chuckled. "I know. I'm just picking on you. So, have you worked on your story any more since finishing it?" Shizuku grinned sheepishly. "Well, not really, but I've been doing a lot of brainstorming…" "That's great, too," Seiji said. "Maybe the story will end up different from how you first wrote it." Shizuku immediately answered, "No way! I wouldn't change my story that much."

As the two continued to talk about the story, Yuuko suddenly called out to them from the table nearest the library's check-out window. All of Shizuku's friends grinned impishly at seeing Seiji with her. "So this is your infamous Prince of Books," Kinuyo teased. "Wait, I'm what?" Seiji stuttered, looking rather confused, as Shizuku blushed. "Shizuku kept daydreaming about you with every card she found that had your name on it," Kinuyo explained, excited at seeing a flustered Shizuku. "But once she found you out, she would never admit to us who you were. That's why we had to sneak after you two that time." The memory was fresh in Shizuku's mind, and apparently in Seiji's too, as he began to turn a faint shade of red. "Well... at least I got her attention like I wanted," Seiji mumbled without thinking. "Ehh? You wanted her to see?!" Nao said with an eager look of surprise at the juicy tidbit.

Shizuku could only look more flustered as Seiji's face deepened in color. In that moment, she distracted them by bringing out the thick manuscript. "There! Look! This is the story I wrote!" Shizuku exclaimed hastily to get their attention. The entire table gasped when they saw it. "Gosh, Shizuku!" Kinuyo exclaimed. "You wrote all that?! It must have taken eons!" Shizuku laughed, relieved that her distraction had worked. "No, not really. It just kind of flowed out, at first…" Yuuko was the one to take the manuscript. "Still, didn't you get writer's cramp or anything?" "No," Shizuku admitted, "none that I remember, anyway. I didn't even stop to eat meals at first. My parents finally told me to start showing my face at dinner." Everyone laughed at this, except for Yuuko, who was reading the first page of the manuscript intently. Nao was soon looking over Yuuko's shoulder, and Kinuyo quickly followed. Seiji patiently waited alongside Shizuku for the others to finish.

Yuuko, having been the first to start reading, was the first to comment. "Shizuku, this story is beautiful! I had to tear my eyes from the third paragraph just now!" Kinuyo and Nao agreed. "You've never written so wonderfully before!" Nao gushed. Kinuyo took the manuscript from Yuuko, saying, "I've gotta take this home and finish it!" Yuuko snatched it back. "No way, Kinuyo, I'm going to read it first!" At that point, a wrestling match broke out over who would be the first to take home the precious manuscript for reading. In addition, Shizuku rushed over from her seat and started protesting that none of them could take it home to read, they were only supposed to sample the first few pages here at the library. Seiji joined right in, trying to remind them all that they were in the school library and if they didn't quiet down, they'd get kicked out.

Luckily, it was at that point that another familiar face appeared on the scene and pulled the manuscript away from the group. Yuuko and the others started to whine as it slipped from their hands, but immediately quieted down when they saw it was an authority figure. Shizuku sighed happily. "Thanks, Mrs. Kousaka." Mrs. Kousaka grinned at her, and asked, "Is this why your grades have been going down, Shizuku?" Shizuku turned red, and became a little indignant - she wanted her manuscript back. "Yes, but you can't read it yet," she said in a slightly huffy manner. She reached up to take the manuscript, but the school nurse kept it just out of her reach. "Really now? Your friends seem awfully eager to read it." Shizuku kept reaching as her friends giggled in the background. "That's because I let them read the first bit just now. All three want to take it home." Mrs. Kousaka grinned again. "That does present a problem," she said. "So why don't I hold it here and make copies for everyone?" Shizuku stopped reaching. Make copies of her manuscript? "No way, not yet," she said after a moment's hesitation. "I want it to be finished first before anyone else has a copy."

She reached for the manuscript again, and this time the nurse gave it to her. "Well, I guess I can appreciate that, Shizuku. A lot of writers are that way about their work," she remarked. Shizuku stored the manuscript away in her backpack again, much to the dismay of the others. Mrs. Kousaka laid a hand on Shizuku's shoulder. "By the way, I wanted to talk to you. Could you walk with me while I finish putting away some returns?" Shizuku agreed, and bid her friends farewell for the day. Seiji would be staying to read for a while, without a doubt, but Yuuko and the others had never been as fond of reading, and left quickly, still chatting about Shizuku's manuscript excitedly.

Shizuku helped Mrs. Kousaka load the returned books onto the rolling shelf-cart. She had helped her to restock the books many times before - she knew all the books' proper places by heart, so it was something of a familiar habit. As she helped to put the books away, Mrs. Kousaka began talking to her. "I've been thinking about your attitude shift during the time you had your project going on, Shizuku. Weren't you ever just a little bit worn out while you were writing?" Shizuku was somewhat surprised by the nurse's question. It certainly wasn't what she had expected to hear. "I don't really know," she admitted. "I know that sometimes I would stop and I wouldn't know how to get out of whatever snarl I had written into the story. It was times like that when I felt like I should just write the ending and let the snarls work themselves out. I hated it so much," she said with a depressed reminiscense.

"But you kept going, right?" Mrs. Kousaka queried, as they moved on to the next section. "Yes," she said, "but I remember I would always have an awful headache, just like after I study a subject that I'm not really good at. I get really tired, too, when I have those headaches." The nurse nodded. "Are you still having those headaches, Shizuku?" She thought about it before replying, "Yes, but only when I study at night. I get them in the middle of tests sometimes, too." The nurse replied, "That's what I thought might be happening, Shizuku. You're probably bouncing back from burnout. It's not uncommon in people once they finish with exams and the like - the stress starts affecting you through actual physical exhaustion."

They had reached the self-improvement section of the library, and Mrs. Kousaka drew a small, compact book from the cart, showing it to Shizuku. "I was leafing through this book and I found a paragraph about writing in a journal. I think it was on page 85. Anyway, I thought you might find it interesting, so go ahead and read it if you want." Shizuku turned to page 85 and read the text as Mrs. Kousaka continued restoring the returned books to their proper spaces. The section talked about how burnout affected different people, and Shizuku recognized the symptoms of her headaches and tiredness. It also discussed different ways of coping with the burnout. Shizuku noted a circled entry, with the nurse's initials beside it…

"_Writing in a journal is a good way to express feelings about your day and how it affected you, without worrying about how someone may react. It's also an excellent way to reflect on your day and think about what you should do tomorrow._"

'A journal, huh?' Shizuku thought. 'Yeah, as if I need to do any more writing!' She shuffled the book into its appointed spot on the shelf, and went back over to the table, where Seiji waited for her.


	3. Unsettled

**Disclaimer: Characters & the original story belong to Studio Ghibli, I'm just letting my imagination mingle with theirs…**

Another car zoomed by as Shizuku rode behind Seiji on his bike. She could have simply walked back home, but she would have missed the chance for his companionship, so it had become their habit for him to take her home whenever and wherever they had a chance to meet. Even if they rode in complete silence, there was a quiet dialogue between his shoulder and her head.

"I wish I could watch you make violins all the time," she quipped today. Seiji gave her a quizzical look over his shoulder. "What's there to watch? I'm just shaping the wood..." Shizuku shook her head in reply. "I told you before - it's like magic. Besides, how else do I get to see your work?" "What are you going on about?" Seiji returned in confusion. "Well," Shizuku began, framing her thoughts, "it's just that you can look over my work so easily, and judge its contents almost immediately." She was giving a soft pout by then. "I don't know much about violin making, I just know the ones you make are beautiful. I kind of want to learn how to judge your ability..." Seiji chuckled. "And make me twice as nervous? Thanks," he joked. Shizuku sat up. "I'm serious, Seiji - I want to have the same pride in you for your work that you do for mine."

She blinked when he stopped suddenly on the sidewalk. Seiji turned around and wrapped an arm around her. "You've already shown me that you are," he assured her. "You pushed yourself so hard to write your story while I was gone - that was something you did for _us_, Shizuku... Just like I pushed myself for us." His cheeks were colored a light red, and Shizuku felt the heat rise on her face too. They sat there on the bike for a time, Seiji simply holding her close. They didn't take many moments like this - their culture was so uptight on public displays of affection, even the simple embrace - and they treasured every moment. Soon enough, though, Seiji released her. "I promise I'll always work hard to make you proud," Seiji vowed. "And I know you'll always work hard too, right?" Shizuku could only nod dumbly, as she had that morning on the cliff - was it an eon ago? Then a brief shiver went through her - winter was almost upon them, and the winds were becoming chill. The motion didn't escape Seiji. "I need to get you home. It's only going to get colder as the sun goes down." And the bike began moving forward once again.

* * *

Shizuku flopped into her chair at her desk with a sigh. Her cheeks were still pink from the cold, and her heart still warm from Seiji's sweet words and tender embrace. She hugged herself tightly for a moment, ridding herself of the last chill as much as trying to capture the memory of being so close to him. He would leave eventually - he would be gone for ten years. Would he have summer breaks, chances to come home to visit?

Reflexively, Shizuku picked up a pencil and twirled it in her fingers, as if preparing to write - but there was nothing to write, it seemed, and she set it back down, only to pick it up moments later. She had grown so comfortable with the pencil in her hand, much more so than before. The mere tool was now a precision instrument for Shizuku - without it in her hands, she felt more alone and out of tune than any other time. After a few more instances of putting it down and picking it up, she reached over to her satchel and pulled out the precious manuscript. Thoughts, dreams, wishes, tears, laughs, they were all right here in this stack of papers, and Mr. Nishi was confident that she had even more to give. Her hands closed over the geode that now rested on her desk, and she took up a small pen light to look at the beautiful crystals within, slowly circling the light behind the rock to create that shimmer she had first seen.

"_Do you see that larger crystal?_" Mr. Nishi's words returned unbidden to her. "_You could polish that for years, and it would never be worth much. The smaller gems are much more valuable._"

The memory left Shizuku crestfallen, and she gave her manuscript a heavyhearted look. 'For all the writing I did,' she mused, 'that could still be just worthless pieces of paper...' She put the geode down and flipped through the manuscript, rereading her writings, remembering how she felt as she wrote each word. She found herself smiling unexpectedly as she read through a certain piece - that one had been fun and left her giddy. 'But I couldn't throw this away,' she realized. 'Even with all the sloppy parts, there's still so many good ones that I don't ever want to lose.' She sighed thoughtfully. A few moments later, the door to her room opened. "Shizuku? Dinner's ready," her mother announced. "Alright," she responded, and clicked off the desk lamp for the time being, leaving her manuscript where it was.

**A/N: Five long years without an update. I know I need to polish my gems too, believe me. After revisiting the movie, my original idea for this fanfic returned as strongly as ever, albeit with a few minor changes to the plot. This chapter is a foray to restart what I began - please keep reading and reviewing, your comments have done so much to bolster my confidence in this story. Thank you, everyone. ~Charis~**


	4. Birthday Present

**Disclaimer: Characters & the original story belong to Studio Ghibli, I'm just letting my imagination mingle with theirs…**

In a corner of the small suburban neighborhood, a house had been transformed into an odd little shop, titled as 'The World Emporium'. It kept irregular hours, and was tiny at first glance, but those well acquainted with it knew that it hid a small studio below, where violin making classes were held. At the moment, the small sign in the front door's window displayed its 'Closed' side, and the lace curtain was drawn. No one could guess that it was busy as a hive inside.

* * *

"Come to the shop?" Shizuku had just finished her classroom duties and was preparinng to leave with Yuuko, when they were met by Seiji. He nodded in reply. "Grandpa's got some new stock in recently, said there was something he wanted to show you as soon as possible." Shizuku was hesitant and suspicious - today was her birthday, and she had a strong feeling that Seiji was up to something."I dunno," she wavered. "I really need to catch up on my studying if my grades are gonna improve for the entrance exams..." "Besides," Yuuko butted in, "I was planning to treat her today at a café on the edge of the district." Shizuku turned a look of surprise on her friend. "Yuuko!" Seiji headed the conversation off at the pass by saying, "If Yuuko would like to come, she's more than welcome. You know Grandpa likes visitors." Shizuku's suspicions rose. "Seiji," she said with a querulous tone, letting him know she was on to him. But Seiji plowed right on through. "Come on, Shizuku, it's a Friday, so you can stay up a little later to study." Yuuko nodded. "This is the shop you told me about before, right? I'd love to see it." Both of them watched Shizuku expectantly, and there was a long moment of hesitance before Shizuku sighed and relented. "Fine," she agreed, "I could use a study break."

And so the trio set out. Yuuko stopped only once to speak with Sugimura, and they even invited him along, to Shizuku's trepidation. Thankfully (in her mind), he declined, with his eyes seemingly avoiding Shizuku. As the three walked, they discussed their upcoming school festival and what projects their separate classes had planned. Yuuko was working with the Choral Club, as usual, deciding on a few song skits to perform. Shizuku, despite studying her heart out to raise her GPA, still made a point to involve herself with the festival - it was she who had suggested a fairy-tale themed _kissaten_, dressing up as characters from both Japanese classics and internationally known favorites like Red Riding Hood or The Gingerbread Man. A few had thought it was silly, but in the end, that had been part of the appeal - something that was family friendly and amusing. Seiji would be helping at a _takoyaki _stand with his class - "I can't stand octopus, so I won't have my fingers in the product," he admitted as the reason of why he had been chosen to help with the stand. Shizuku put that fact in the back of her mind: no octopus for Seiji. In time, their banter even turned to Shizuku's 'Concrete Road' translation - Yuuko of course praised her cleverness as before, and Shizuku turned bright red as Seiji got the words wrong again, and finally taunted her companions in return by nearly turning back to head for home.

At last they reached the small neighborhood where the World Emporium was located, and Yuuko looked about in curiosity. "I never would have guessed this was back here," she admitted, and Shizuku smiled - she had felt the same way when she had first followed Moon to this place. Seiji stepped a little ahead of the girls, intending to open the door for them, but found it locked. His look of surprise threw Shizuku off - was he planning something or wasn't he?! After trying the knob again a few more times, the boy shook his head in confusion. "Wait here," he said. "Grandpa said he'd have the shop open, but he might be in the studio." With that, he went behind the small fence that led to the back stairs. "Studio?" Yuuko asked in confusion. Shizuku nodded. "There's a small studio downstairs from the shop. They have violin-making classes in there." "Does Seiji teach?" her friend pressed. "I don't think so," she answered. "I mean, he's still learning too, after all." A moment later, they heard the lock shift, and the door opened to reveal Seiji. "There we go. He'd forgotten he'd locked it for a bit," he said, grinning impishly. "Come on in."

Both girls stepped inside, and Shizuku instantly noticed the few smiling familiar faces. The next thing she noticed were the sparse but obvious decorations. She didn't have time to notice anything else, because she jumped in surprise at the sudden loud crack of confetti poppers. "_OTANJOUBI OMEDETOU_!" the friendly faces announced, leaving Shizuku to stand dumbfounded as she tried to process what was happening. Yuuko was a bit flabbergasted as well, and quickly began to apologize. "I-I didn't realize there was going to be a party, I didn't mean to intrude...!" But Seiji stopped her with a chuckle. "It's fine. I told you, Grandpa likes visitors. Besides, I thought Shizuku would prefer it if you were here with us." The three old men - Nishi, Minami, and Kita - were awaiting a response from Shizuku, other than her startled stiff silence. "Shizuku?" Seiji asked out of concern. A moment after he spoke her name she came back to life, embarrassed. "You... You didn't have to do this for me...!" she stuttered, slowly turning beet red. Of course Seiji must have said something to his grandfather, the old man couldn't have known otherwise, she reasoned. Mr. Nishi only chuckled in response. "It's alright, Shizuku, please don't be embarrassed. I wanted to try and give back to you," he explained. "Give back...? But I haven't given you anything, Mr. Nishi," she replied in quiet confusion. "Of course you did," he said, and he put a hand to her shoulder to guide her to the side of the house where the shop was kept. He only looked back a moment to ask his companions to begin bringing out the tea and snacks.

"You may not think much of it," he explained as they walked, "but I meant what I said about your story. You wrote in such a way that it reawakened many old and fond memories for myself and the Baron." "But.. didn't you already give me the geode?" Shizuku wavered, still rather embarrassed. "Well," Mr. Nishi replied, taking off his usual cap to rub at his head, "that was less of a 'thank you' and more of a 'well done'. Your story was rough yet well meaning when I read it, but I was hungry for every page in a way that I haven't been in a long time." He pulled a flat box from a nearby shelf. It was rectangular and white, and tied with a bit of twine - it was meant to hold clothing as a gift until it was unwrapped. "The geode was to congratulate your work. -This-, and your party, is to thank you for satisfying the hunger that I thought had long disappeared." And with that, Shizuku found herself with the box in her hands. She was hesitant to open it, but when she looked back at Mr. Nishi, he only nodded in encouragement. Thus the box was set down, and her fingers fumbled over the twine until it came loose. It took only a moment more to lift the cover from the box and reveal an exquisite surprise.

A small round wooden frame, dark and polished, both trapped and displayed a carved picture, a scene which was all too familiar to Shizuku: a beautiful fairy on the right, looking sweetly downwards as her essence dwindled into the curls of sheep's wool, and her lover, Prince of the Dwarf Kingdom, gazing upwards into her eyes with a clear expression of wishing and waiting. Time showed its effects on certain pieces of the picture - a crack where it had been dropped, a slight edge missing on the center of a curl or a tip of a nose - but it had been well restored, and these evidences lent a tone of reality to the scene, as if one could truly reach out and touch the actual beings in the story.

Shizuku's eyes were almost as wide as her mouth, both open in surprise. It took her several heartbeats to take in the sight of her present. "Oh my gosh... Mr. Nishi, did you make this?" she asked urgently, turning back to the old man. He chuckled in response. "Heavens no. My old fingers were never that nimble. No, this was something I found quite by accident." Her gaze turned slowly back to the scenic piece. The faces and art style were different, but the story was still the same, and it captured her heart just as the old grandfather clock had done. "I know it's not a lot to say 'thank you' with, but I hope you like it all the same," Mr. Nishi finished. In response, Shizuku turned and fairly pounced the old man with a hug, a rare display of affection and gratitude. "It's more than enough," she squeaked softly.

* * *

A tea party followed, with simple sandwiches and some buttery shortbread cookies on which Shizuku nearly pigged out. Yuuko was properly introduced, and shown around the shop briefly by Mr. Nishi. She could only marvel at the some of the pieces within, but the Baron didn't hold the same charm for her as it did for Shizuku. After some coaxing, Mr. Nishi and his companions were obliged to bring out their instruments and play a few sprightly traditional tunes. Even the local _Bon Odori_ music was played after a few stories had been swapped, and the three youngsters danced the traditional steps as the elders worked at their instruments, with everyone laughing and singing. It reminded Shizuku of the summer that had passed, and she fell quiet for a little while, musing on that short time before she had met Mr. Nishi and the Baron, and Seiji. He had watched her even then, she realized, and Shizuku wondered how often their paths had truly crossed before she'd finally noticed him. Before she could feel guilty for it, however, she was drawn out of her thoughts and back into the conversation at hand, and her thoughts settled into the back of her mind for the moment.

In time, the small party ended and the cleanup began. Mr. Nishi insisted that Shizuku didn't need to help since it had been her party, and Seiji escorted the girls on their walks home. This time, their chat was filled with an easy companionship, rather than a strained and courteous one. They talked in remembrance of the party, and Shizuku told Yuuko the story portrayed in her new possession, which Yuuko immediately assumed Shizuku had written. Eventually Yuuko parted with the group, walking toward her own home and leaving the two sweethearts alone. As always, Shizuku loved the chance to spend one-on-one time with Seiji, even though she did chastise him a little. "You didn't have to tell your grandpa about my birthday," she said with a light teasing glare. Seiji only chuckled and scratched his head. "He was looking for an opportunity to give you that carving," he replied, "so I gave him one. He was almost giddy at being able to plan the party, you know." Shizuku giggled at the thought of Mr. Nishi being giddy, and she held the white box containing her gift close to her chest. When they arrived at her apartment building, they lightly grasped hands as they had before Seiji had left for his trial in Italy. Seeing the light on in her family's apartment gave Shizuku an idea, and a small dose of courage. "Say," she began, "do you think that you'd... like to meet my family? Not tonight of course," she said hastily as Seiji turned a light red in surprise. "Just before... before you start on your studies in Italy?" She was still a bit nervous to say 'before you leave for Italy', wanting to keep away thoughts of the separation for as long as she could. It took Seiji a moment more to process it, and Shizuku was almost sorry she'd mentioned it. Before she could apologize, though, Seiji finally answered, "I think it's a good idea." The strange reply confused Shizuku at first, and Seiji continued, "It would give me a chance to let them know about my intentions." The reminder of their promise made them both blush, but their hands gripped more tightly, reassuring one another.

* * *

In her room, Shizuku opened up the white box again, and admired the carving. The dark wood shined in the fluorescent light of her desk lamp, again making the characters come to life. After a few moments, Shizuku looked around the room. Where to display it? It was meant to be displayed as a wall hanging, but there was little space available that wasn't either already taken up or part of a door or window. She would have to take something else down. A few moments of deliberation passed, and then Shizuku went to the bookshelf near her desk. Beside of it, a hanging witch doll rode her broom. Shizuku took it down and hung up the carving, admiring the fairy and the dwarf once more as it swiveled from side to side, trying to settle in its new spot. Then her eyes turned back to the witch clutched in her hands. She remembered receiving this as a gift as well, and talking to it when she was smaller, discerning its past. Memories of these made-up stories of childhood presented themselves again, interconnecting like nostalgic puzzle pieces. She remembered holding the doll to a window whenever a delivery truck would pass. The symbol of the black cat emblazoned on the side of the truck became a companion perched on the witch's broom handle for a few short moments. And she remembered asking the witch, 'Did you ever deliver anything like the black cat does?'

A slow smile spread across her face as she remembered. And as her eyes looked down at her manuscript for the briefest of moments, the smile grew. Her mind was beginning to race; details were popping into her head with increasingly manic speed. She propped the doll on top of the books on her desk, picked up her pencil, and began writing.

****Author'sNotes**_******_

**On characters:**  
Kita - lute playing gentleman with glasses  
Minami - taller moustached gentleman

**On Mr. Nishi's shop** - The original Japanese name of Mr. Nishi's shop is 地球家 (pronounced 'Atelier Chikyuu-ya', and translated literally as "Earth Shop Studio"). The name given is the DVD's translation of the name.

**On birthdays in Japan** - unlike in the US, there's not much pomp and circumstance with the celebration, except for very young children of certain ages and for the coming-of-age at 20. Even then, these celebrations have special holidays dedicated to their celebration. Mr. Nishi's surprise party for Shizuku, however small it turned out, was still a big deal, very rare and very special - I think it gave a good show of the special connection between all the characters.

**On the delivery trucks of Japan** - The delivery service known as "Takkyubin" is a part of Yamato Transport Co., Ltd, and its delivery trucks sport a black cat carrying its kitten. This is meant to symbolize that the service takes care of its customers' orders as if they were family. Sightings in Japan are very common.

**On vocabulary (in order of appearance)**:  
_Kissaten_ - the Japanese cafe, traditionally with a maid theme.  
_Takoyaki_ - fried balls of octopus meat, a common festival snack.  
_Otanjoubi Omedetou_ - the traditional well wishing for a 'Happy Birthday'.  
_Bon Odori_ - A traditional dance performed during the Obon festival, which is celebrated in memory of family ancestors and their works and sacrifices. The dance and music varies from place to place.

**To my watchers and fans:**  
**Thank you so much for your support. It's hard for me to focus on writing the chapters for this story, but I know it must be even harder for you to wait for each new chapter. I want to do the best that I can for you, and it's heartening to read the comments you leave, critical and encouraging alike. I hope that each facet of the story will shine for you as I slowly craft and polish my work. ~Charis~**


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